Guard for the booths of picture-projecting machines.



A. WERNER & R. s; DENNISS. GUARD FOR THE BOOTH S 0F PICTURE PROJECT INGMACHINES,

APPLICATION FLED JULY 11. 1914. Lw fifiu Patented May 11, 1915.

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APPLICATION F LED JULY II, X914. I

' Patented May 11, 1915.

aviueuco'zd' Arthur Werner, Richard S- Deanz'ss holding means, the topcover being removed.

manna snares. Parana orator.

ARTHUR WERNER AND RICHARD S. DENNISS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GUARD FOR THE BOOTHS 0F PICTURE-PROJECTING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May ii, 1915 Application filed July 17, 1914. Serial No.851.674.

T all to]: om it may concern Be it known that we, ARTH R WERNER andRICHARD S. DENNISS, citizens of the United States, residing at-SanFrancisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Guards for the Booths ofPicture-Projecting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in safety devices or guards forthe booths of animated picture projecting machines and has particularapplication to an automatic safety device for closing the openings inthe booth in the event of vfire therein.

In carrying out the present invention, it is our purpose to provide adevice of the class described whereby the projecting and sight openingsin the boottrwill be automatically closed in the event of the filamentpassing through the projecting ma- ('hine becoming ignited, therebyconfining the smoke and fumes within the operators booth so thatthepatrons of the theater or park will be in ignorance of theconflagration.

It is also our purpose to provide a guard or safety device of the typeset forth which will be thermostatically controlled and which willrespond immediately that the filament is ignited. thereby effectivelytrapping the smoke and flames within the booth. which will operateeiiiciently for its intend ed purpose and which will embody few partsand these so correlated and arranged as to reduce the possibility ofderangement to a minimum. p

' With the above and other objects view. the invention consists in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forthin and falling within the scope of the claims.

In'the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a side elevation of the frontwall ofa picture projecting machine operators booth showing ourinvention installed. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 33- ot' Fig. 1 taken atright angles to Fig. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the controllingelement of the guard. Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of one of theshutters and holding means therefor showing the same on an enlargedscale. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the proper position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, 1 designates the front wall ofthe booth of a picture projecting machine, such wall being formed withthe usual projecting open: ings 2, 2 and sight opening 3. As usual, theinterior of the booth is lined with suitable fireproof material and onesidewall of the booth is formed with an entrance opening adapted to beclosed by meansof a door lined with fire resisting material. Secured tothe inner face of the front wall 1 of the booth contiguous the loweredge of each opening therein is a horizontal strip 4 having theupperelge thereof formed with a longitudinal groove 5 and disposed contiguousthe opposite side walls of each Opt-uing and uprising from theparticular strip at at the opposite extremities of the latter are guidestrips 6 having the confronting edges thereof formed with verticalgrooves 7 communicating with the groove 5 in the strip 4 and formingguideways... The guide strips 6 at the opposite sides of. each openingextend above the top wall of the opening a short distance and slidablymounted within the grooves 7 in the confronting edges of each pair ofstri s 6 is a shutter 8 adapted, when in lowere position, to close theparticular opening in the wall of the booth, the lower edge of theshuttter seating within the groove 4 in the'bottom strip 5 whereby thedownward motion of the shutter is arrested and the latter held inDisposed between upper extremities of each pair of guide strips 6 is anoutlet box 9 and within each box-9 is a fuse block 10 of insulatingmaterial haying the conducting strips thereof interconnected by means ofa fusible wire 11 relatively long as compared with the dis tance betweenthe contacts and having the central portion thereof depending below thecontacts. Secured to the depending portion of the. fusible wire 11 andsuspended thereby is a hook 12 projecting through an insulated slot 13formed in the bottom portion of the 'side wall of the outlet box. Thelower end or bill of the book 12 is designed to engage an insulated ring13 secured to the adjacent shutter 8 at the upper edge thereof. As longas the hooks 13 are in engagement with the ring. 13 and the fusiblewires 11 intact the shutters remain elevated or inactive so that theopenings 2, 2 and 3 are unobstructed whereby the pictures may beprojected the through the openings and onto the screen and the operatorview the screen through the openings 3.

The -fusible wires 11 controlling the shutters are connected in seriesin an electric circuit 14 connected in multiple with the power circuitof the picture rojecting machine and the wires leading 150m one outletbox to another are inclosed in conduits 15 having the oppositeextremities thereof leading into the particular outlet boxes and securedto such boxes. Located in the circuit 14: is a normally open snap switch16 and connected with the stem of the switch 16 is an operating arm 17having the outer extremity thereof equipped with a weight 18 andconnected with one end of a chain 19 or other flexible element trainedover guide sheaves 20, 20 secured to the top wall or ceiling of thebooth and having the opposite extremity thereof terminating immediatelyabove the filament feeding mechanism'of the picture projecting machine.

21 designates a frusto-conical shaped counterbalance having the basethereof formed at diametrically opposite points with slots 22 and passedthrough the slots 22 is a stri of filament 23 or other inflammablematerial having the extremities thereof passed through an eye on thelast-mentioned end of the chain 19 and cemented or otherwise secured toeach other to hold the counterbalance 21 to the chain 19 so that thearm- 17 will be held *in inactive position against the action of theweight 18 whereby the switch 16-will remain open.

The conical counterbalance 21 and the"inflammable material connectingthe same to the adjacent end of the chain 19 are disposed in proximityto the filament passing through the picture projecting machine andshould such filament become ignited the flames therefrom would burn theinflammable material 23 thereby disconnecting the counterdisconnectionof the counterbalance from the chain the weight 18 gravitates to loweredposition and swings the arm 17, thereby actnating'theswitch 16 to closethe circuit 14. When the circuit 14 is closed the current passingthrough the fusible wires 11 in series in suc circuit melts thewiresthereby releasing the books 12 and permitting the shutters 8 togravitate to lowered position.

Thus, the openings in the walls of the booth are closed and t e v theburning filamentconfined to the picture machine operators booth so thatthe patrons of the show are not aware of the conflagration.

flames and smoke from menses From the foregoing description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode ofoperation and manner of employing our invention will be readilyapparent. It will be seen that we have provided a guard for the boothsof picture projecting machines whereby communication between the boothand the exterior will be automatically cut off in the event of thefilament catching fire.

While we have herein shown and described one preferred form of ourinvention by way of illustration, we wish it to be understood that we donot limit or confine ourselves to the precise details of constructionherein described and delineated, as modification and variation may bemade within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

We claim:

1. The combination with a booth of the class described having openingstherein, of

in normal position, a normally open electric circuit including saidfusible devices, and means for closing said circuit to blow the fuses.

2. {The combination with a booth of the class described having openingstherein, of shutters capable of sliding movement to close the openingsand normally in open position, fusible devices holding said shutters innormal position, a normally open electric circuit including said fusibledevices, and thermostatically controlled means for closing said circuitto blow the fuses.

. 3. The combination with a booth of the class described having openingstherein, of shutters capable of sliding movement to close the openingsand normally in open position, fusible devices holding said shutters innormal osition, a normally 0 on electric circuit including said fusibledevices, a switch in said circuit, means disposed in proximity to thefilament ofthe picture projecting machine within the booth and connectedto and switch and adapted to hold the switch normally open and releasethe switch upon the filament becoming ignited, and means for actuatingthe switch to closed position upon the release thereof.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signa-

